Cancer Support Thread 98: support for those diagnosed and going through treatment

[FcukBreastCancer]

Hello 👋

Thank you @Sbmppyou are so amazing, particularly given everything you are going through. I hope and wish that your scan results are good. Do you have chemo lined up now? I know it was postponed previously,

@Nonamelass- how lovely that you are back! I’m sorry you have had such tough time with treatments but very glad to have you back. I had been worrying about you!

Wishing you all the very best xx

@Nonamelass I’ve thought of you often. So good to see you pop up. Hope you are doing well (as well as we can be while fighting cancer). Prayers for you and Ventress. Wishing everyone more Christmases.

We talked about Christmas at the village pub. Expensive and decadent but who cares?!

@Ventress
You come across so calm and graceful in the face of such enormity
Your DH is a star - absolutely book that Christmas lunch, if ever there was a time for decadence this is it. And something nice to aim for.

I'm just plodding my way to the last chemo on Weds. See my oncologist on Tues so have lots of questions about what's next.
Its my birthday soon so have a few things organised- it will be nice to get out.

Then I really have to focus on getting my finances sorted. I fell down the cracks in the benefits system but I may have found a way round the problem

Expensive and decadent sounds just fine xx

Îm doing ok my American friend. Just a big tired but getting there 💕 hope your scan was ok. X

💕

@Nonamelass Still waiting but scan was just three days ago. I’m a bit more concerned about the egd/colo. The prep is a nightmare and I really feel for us elders out there with our battered vessels (bodies).It’s so good to hear from you.

@Ventress I kept our Christmas tree up until May this year. I love the lights. Some of the ornaments are almost 100 yrs old. It just warmed me to look at it every day. Sweet memories, decadent Christmas.

I love that you kept your Christmas tree up until May @Sbmpp and that you have such historic ornaments !! We don’t have ornaments with such history but perhaps we will leave our Christmas decorations up for longer this year😊

best of luck for the scan, egd/colo (when will you find out when this will be?)

Your body is amazing. All of us are amazing. We will follow our paths and some are way more difficult than others, but they are ours and we own them. 💪

@Nonamelassah, tiredness! I am stunned at how tired I get. These days I just tend to do things in the mornings I must admit. I hope you decide to do something decadent for Christmas. Decedent Christmas in France sounds dreamy!

Thank you @Ted27🤗

It wast my birthday last week so DH and DS and I went out for lunch on Saturday. As a “survivor” of NHS food last week that very welcome 😊

what are you up to for your birthday?

Good luck with the oncologist. I hope s/he is good with questions and you get good answers. I know that sometimes they can be vague. I can’t speak for the others but after chemo but this is my experience: I ended regular chemo (weekly paclitaxel) just before Christmas and moved to anti-hormone treatment of ribocyclib and Letrozole) both of which are very effective for HER+ breast cancer apparently, however it didn’t work for me. Because of the secondary cancers I have, not because of the efficacy of Ribociclib and Letrozole. Because the treatment wasn’t working for me I have moved to a new, tablet based Chemo called Capecitsetiabine (sp) which I’ve been using since April. It’s three weeks on then a week off (although I am currently on another 2 week break due to some nasty side effects ). I don’t know if that helps but ending chemo is, honestly, okay I promise ❤️

Sorting out finances can be complicated. I have applied for PIP which isn’t means tested. I would suggest involving MacMillan - they are very good at this sort of thing, Take care 🤗

@ventress good to hear you are home and have had your celebration meal, do they know what caused the blood clots?
Also good to have a rest from the chemo especially when you have been so ill. I am sure you will recover better in your own space and without the help of nhs food.

@Ted27 good luck with last chemo and your oncology appointment. Hope your itching symptoms calm down once you are off chemo.

@VividDeer good to know something else makes you itch - not on tamoxifen thankfully but its handy to know thats a side effect in case anyone else is on it too.

@Sbmpp hope you get some reassuring results, well done for getting through more tests. Its so lovely that you are far away but can come here and get support, we all need it.

am off early for scan tomorrow and then phesgo in the afternoon, then we are off next week on what would have been a doggy holiday but without Oscar, so that will be hard but its needed as I am cream crackered in mind body and spirit. Trying to carpe diem but some days its much harder than others.

@Ventress and @cantbelieveIamhere Thanks for well wishes. I have results from Petscan but as I’m reading I realize there’s no conclusion on the radiologist’s report. My oncologist usually calls right away so idk? So close yet so far away. I had cataract surgery today so that’s done. Chemo Wednesday. as far as I know., then appts Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I think it could be worse so will not complain. Love you all and hope the start of the week is start of something good. @cantbelieveIamhere I was just thinking about your Oscar, then was reminded of Francis. There’s a TV ad out this away for dog food and background music is “what the world needs now is love” etc. I kid you not if I had a dog I would buy it!

Thank you @cantbelieveIamherewe had a lovely meal 😊 DS had a full three courses - very impressed at his eating capacity 🙁 it is lovely food though!

They think the blood clots were formed by the chemo - blood gets thicker (“sticky” blood as they described it) and forms clots which travel to the heart. These need to be broken up by the injections (tablets for me). These clots have definitely broken up- I do feel better, although I was on oxygen for three days and yesterday when the district nurse was here, I had very low blood pressure and blood oxygen which concerned her.

Thanks 🙏 I think you are right , I need a break. I have a call with the oncology nurses tomorrow so will discuss it.

I hope the scan goes well this morning and phesgo isn’t too bad. Carpe diem is an aim, I certainly can’t get there yet, but I think going on a break is a wonderful idea. It’s so difficult without Oscar, I realise, but you can celebrate him and his life while you are away. Enjoy looking out of the window and breathing in the lovely new air. You will have gorgeous weather which will help 😊

take very good care of yourselves 🤗🤗

@SbmppI’m glad you have the pen scan results. I have found that oncologists are hard to pin down on questions! Good luck!

I find dog food (or anything dog related really) adverts really hard to watch. Oh bless you and Francis.

I hope your appointments are positive 🤞

@DanFmDorking thanks. I’m incurable, so mainly post on the thread in the life limiting section. I might have a mooch around though 😊

Good to see you here @Enigma54💐 my experience has been the opposite. I post here as it’s very supportive. I think this thread was set up for people who will get better (good for them!) but has been taken over by us!

The other thread is probably the right place to post but I never felt I was sick enough before now.

Me too…

@Ventress I agree with both you and @Enigma54 . My cancer is incurable but somehow I found this site and loved the support too. I think it was when I saw mns going through the same chemo side effects etc. My palliative care Dr told me my cancer is not curable but treatable. Boy that pisses me off!!!!!! (Wish I could capitalize that whole last sentence but that would be yelling:(. Have a nice evening everyone.

Everyone is welcome here. No one has mentioned if mine is curable or not. It’s gone . Been kicked into the long grass touch wood and hopefully for a very long time. But after three run ins Îm a bit doubtful.Hopefully the terrible tits having finally been beheaded will help 🤞 .I’m just looking at it like flair ups of diabetes or something.

This thread and the many before it were set up for all going through the cancer “experience” from the first unsettling tests and worries about diagnosis all the way through treatment and beyond to recovery. Most of us are successfully treated but sadly not all. The love and support shown on these threads really is the best of Mumsnet! I have been here for six years, through two different cancer diagnoses and courses of treatment. I am now well and enjoying life even if I am a bit battered after three courses of chemotherapy. Everybody is welcome and so are those who never post but read and take comfort from that. Cancer treatment is uniquely lonely and knowing there are others who “get it” at any time of day or night is very reassuring.

When is your double mastectomy?@Nonamelass? So glad to have you back🤗

my sister is going to have a double too. She has had a single mastectomy but asked for the double to be done. It may take a while before it is scheduled.

i very much hope removal and treatment of your rubbish tits will cure you 💐

thank @Topofthecliffsso pleased yours has gone after multiple rounds. I agree. The support and comfort from this thread in particular is amazing. I thank all the people who contribute as they are fantastic and so supportive 💐

@ventress double is done and dusted yippeee. Have been doing physio 😉 good luck to your sis. I don’t mind being flat tbh xx It’s nice to be back 💕

welcome enigma 😊

So pleased to hear that the double is done and post- op has started @Nonamelass! I do hope the physio continues to go well 😊

I’m pleased for my sis too. We had both worried they would say no to the double without good reason to do it. She isn’t worried about being flat. She is very pragmatic and would prefer not to have the regular updates!

pizza went well - DH is happy, thank goodness!

@Ventress Rceived email from oncologist: “Your Petscan is stable”. That was it. Then after my follow up with my ophthalmologist for the cataract surgery I had Monday I received a call from oncologist canceling chemo tomorrow. Of course this was after I had my lab work drawn. Lolol!!! My left a/c is so sore and I’m so tired but my platelets were at 80,000 anyway so it would most likely have been a no go anyway. I would laugh but am too tired. (Oncologist canceled it due to cataract surgery. It’s been on the books for six months so idk).